you say goodbye and I say hello
by perfectworry
Summary: One relationship ends, and another begins. **This fic is a remix of "Kiss Goodbye," by AnotherConstellationDies.x.


I wasn't sure what to do about the characters' names, since they don't all have human names, so I went with each country's version of it's own name, so Sweden is Sverige, Finland is Suomi (except when Sweden introduces him, since Finland is the Swedish name for the country), Norway is Norge, Denmark is, well I mean, guess (Danmark) and you ought to be able to figure out who Sealand is.

* * *

Sverige clears his throat, and the sound echos through the hall. Suomi shifts uncomfortably from one foot to the other, keenly aware that all eyes are on him. In the quiet, Sverige's cough is almost deafening.

"Th's 's F'nl'nd," says Sverige, and Suomi doesn't recognize his own name the way he says it, the sounds blurring together.

Suomi is opening his mouth to introduce himself, to say something to the two men watching him, but he is cut off as one of them tackles him. For a moment, he tries to fight, until he realizes it's not an attack. He manages to wriggle out from the embrace, and he is held at arms length, staring up at the maniac grin.

"Good to meet ya, Suomi! You're gonna fit right in, I'm sure!" A pause, and Suomi once again tried to respond, though he was unsure what to say, but never gets the chance. "I'm Danmark, and this is Norge."

Danmark hugs Suomi close again, Suomi feeling like a rag doll, a sapling tree buffeted by a mighty wind. It was an impression of Danmark that he would never forget. It was Sverige who rescued him, and he never forgot that, either.

Behind Sverige, Suomi sees the other man - Norge? - slip from his seat and out of the hall. It doesn't escape Suomi's notice that Norge's hands are balled up in fists.

"Are y' alri'ght?" Sverige asks, and Suomi can barely make out what he's saying. It would take years of practice before he understood Sverige's speech comfortably.

"I - I'm - yes." Suomi trips over himself, struggling to respond in a way that they'll understand. He knows that his language is different from theirs; it sounds out of place here, and in the coming days, he is often confused, unable to understand what anyone is saying, not just Sverige, who is almost impossible to hear.

He spends his time trying to stay out of their way. It isn't hard with Norge; sometimes while he's talking to Sverige, or trying to, he would see Norge leaning against a doorway, eyes narrowed. Whenever they make eye contact, Norge leaves, and Suomi is left to wonder what he's done wrong.

It's worst at night, when Sverige stops to see if he's warm and safe, and Norge passes by his room without a word, even when Suomi calls out a greeting.

"Hyvää yötä! God natt!" That's what Sverige says to him at night, what Norge and him say to each other. Suomi hopes Norge can see how hard he is trying not to interfere, not to stand out. He wants to be part of this family.

At dinner, he sits beside Sverige. Close to the fire, he feels warm and cozy as he eats. It's so different from when he was wandering in the cold alone before Sverige found him. He sits with his knees drawn up to his chest, arms wrapped around his legs. It's warm in here, but he still can't help but feel a little afraid, surrounded by people he doesn't know and can barely understand.

He has a favor to ask, but he's worried. He doesn't want to cause problems, and he's not even sure that they'll understand him if he says what he wants to say. Suomi takes a deep breath and gathers his courage.

"Uhm, Sverige?"

He's nervous to ask Sverige, but it's easier than asking Norge, who ignores him, or Danmark, who is unpredictable. Sverige is quiet, but calm. Suomi's not afraid Sverige will lash out at him, but he's worried Danmark might. Norge would probably pretend not to hear him at all.

Sverige looks at him directly, and Suomi huddles down a little lower, hunching his shoulders. "I - I was wondering… will you take me to the sea tomorrow?"

Suomi catches glimpses of the seashore the windows of the castle. It glitters on the edge of the horizon, and Suomi has never seen anything quite like it. He wants to see it up close.

Sverige raises an eyebrow, and Suomi wishes he hadn't asked, wishes he could pull the warm furs around himself, over his head, and hide. Instead, he nods, a little too vigorously in his nervousness. "That is - if you don't mind. You told me about your travels in ships, and I wanted to see it for myself."

Sverige doesn't answer right away, and there is no sound but the crackling of the fire. Suomi doesn't break eye contact; he wants to show Sverige that he isn't intimidated, and it would be unnerving, not reassuring, to look at unpredictable Danmark or silent Norge.

"Sounds like a great idea!" Danmark's voice booms, breaking the silence if not the tension. "We'll all go, tomorrow! Oi, Norgie. You up for that?"

Suomi is silently disappointed for this to have become a group outing. He had been looking forward to some time alone to get to know Sverige. He hopes that Norge will come along, and they can get to know each other better. Suomi sees the look Sverige gives Norge, though he doesn't understand it.

Norge sighs before he answers, and even with the language barrier Suomi can tell his heart isn't in it. "Yes," he says. "Fine."

"Thank you," says Suomi, to no one in particular, or to all of them.

Suomi is up with the sun. He didn't sleep well, haunted by conflicting emotions: pleasure at going to the sea, at the prospect of becoming part of this family, and disappointment and anxiety about how the day might turn out if all of them go together.

He is worried about spending time with Norge. At least here in the castle, they can keep walls between them if that's what Norge wants, but at the seashore, they'll be confined together in the limitless expanse of the horizon.

It is with a mixture of relief and regret that Suomi hears Norge will not be joining them as he had promised the night before. He stands in the doorway, unsure what to do as Sverige runs after Norge; he is torn between walking outside with Danmark, where he is sure not to hear them talking, or following Sverige to - what? apologize? eavesdrop? He doesn't know, so he remains where he is, until Sverige comes back into view.

He looks cross, but the displeasure fades from his face the closer they get to the sea front. By the time they reach the cliff, Sverige's frown is gone entirely. Though Suomi never did actually seen Sverige smile, it was the happiest he had seen Sverige look up to that point.

Suomi stands close to Sverige, huddling to keep out of the biting cold wind. Sverige doesn't speak much, but Suomi and Danmark keep up a running commentary, and even Danmark doesn't seem so frightening as they head home in the evening. Sverige puts an arm around Suomi's shoulder as they head home, the temperature falling rapidly with the weak sun, and Suomi snuggles against him for warmth.

Suomi doesn't know what Sverige said to Norge after seeing Suomi to his room. He is asleep under the warm blankets, a contented smile on his face as he drifts asleep and dreams of holding hands with Sverige as they stand on the edge of a cliff over the sea and watch the sun rise.

Sverige is whispering something into Suomi's ear. Suomi doesn't have to try to understand as he sits there, one leg firmly around Sealand's lap as he attempts to brush out Sealand's hair. It's gotten tangled from playing outside in the wind.

Sealand's struggling finally got the better of Suomi, and Sealand ran off to find Hanatamago, whooping with joy at having finally escaped the administrations of his mama.

Suomi turns to Sverige and gestured for him to lean back over. He whispers a reply that leaves Sverige's fair skin tainted red. Sverige mutters something about getting more coffee and disappears back into the kitchen, leaving Suomi laughing, unaware of the conversation in the kitchen between Sverige and Norge.

Finishing his own coffee, he goes into the kitchen to rinse out his mug. Sverige has an arm around Norge, but Suomi isn't worried. He trusts Sverige more than anything, and Norge only slightly less.

He stood on his toes to place a kiss on Sverige's cheek and the red, which had faded to pink, flares up again. Suomi laughs as he runs after Sealand.

Behind him, Sverige calls, "Jag älskar dig."

Suomi pauses to call back, "Minä rakastan sinua."

They understand each other.

Now, Norge understands that.

* * *

The Swedish and Finnish dialogue is just "I love you."


End file.
